Sam Darnold just racked up his seventh interception of the season, an NFL-high, including one that directly set up the game-winning field goal for the Broncos on Thursday night. Yet, after that brutal 17-14 loss, Head Coach Mike Macdonald is absolutely, positively, 100% sticking with his starting quarterback, shutting down any whispers of a switch to backup Drew Lock.
The Darnold Rollercoaster: From Super Bowl Glory to Turnover Turmoil
Let’s be real, the vibes around Sam Darnold this season have been rough. He got hit with a gluteal injury right out of the gate in the season opener, and honestly, he hasn’t looked the same since coming back. His completion percentage is sitting at a pedestrian 60.4%, with only 6.9 yards per attempt. He’s thrown seven touchdowns, which is fine, but those seven picks? That’s the kicker, man. It felt like rock bottom against Denver, where he completed a dismal 52.9% of his passes, averaging just 5.5 yards per attempt, and those two picks were just soul-crushing. One of them gifted the Broncos that walk-off field goal. It’s tough to watch when you remember the magic from last season. Darnold was a turnover machine then too, yeah, throwing 14 interceptions. But he balanced it out with serious efficiency, completing 67.7% of his passes and slinging it for 8.2 yards per attempt. The ball was moving, the offense was humming, and it led us all the way to a Super Bowl victory. This year? Not so much, and the Emerald City is definitely feeling the sting.
Macdonald’s Firm Stance and Fleury’s Fix-It Mission
Despite the struggles, Coach Macdonald isn’t flinching. When asked on radio if a quarterback change was on the table, his answer was a resounding “No, no.” He acknowledged that Drew Lock is a “starter-quality backup,” which, sure, Lock played pretty well in relief earlier this season, completing 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns when Darnold was out against the Patriots and Cardinals. But Macdonald believes Darnold is still the guy. “Sam’s played great football for us this year the majority of the time,” Macdonald stated, adding that while Darnold “needs to take care of the football,” he sees “solutions we can find with Sam as our QB. I believe that.” It’s a huge vote of confidence, but it also puts a ton of pressure on Darnold to deliver. Our new offensive coordinator, Brian Fleury, who replaced Klint Kubiak, has his work cut out for him too. Macdonald was straight up about it, saying, “Brian is well prepared. He’s incredibly smart. But as an offense, we need to really look at what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, what we’re asking certain people to do. We need to look at all of those things right now.” Sounds like a deep dive into the playbook and how they’re deploying Darnold is happening, and it needs to.
This mini-bye couldn’t come at a better time because next up, we’ve got the undefeated Chiefs. Undefeated! This isn’t just another game, this is a statement opportunity, a chance to show that Macdonald’s trust in Darnold isn’t misplaced and that Fleury can dial up an offense that protects the ball. Get it right, fellas, because the 12s are watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply